Radha Madhav Dham
Hays County, Texas (south of Austin), USA
Also known as: Barsana Dham · Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple
- Deities
- Radha Krishna
- Traditions
- vaishnava
- Worship status
- active
- Address
- 400 Barsana Rd, Austin, TX 78737.
- Coordinates
- 30.1558, -97.9578
- Darshan hours
- Varies by season; consult the temple's own website for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- Year-round; festivals here can draw crowds up to roughly 8,000 visitors.
- How to reach
- On a large rural campus in Hays County, Texas, south of Austin; reachable by car.
Location
Open in Google MapsEstablished in 1990 as the main US center of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), Radha Madhav Dham — also known as Barsana Dham — sits on more than 200 rural acres in Hays County south of Austin, built as a devotional replica of the sacred Braj region of North India, with representations of Govardhan hill, Radha Kund, and Prem Sarovar on the grounds. Its centerpiece, the Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple, is a 35,000-square-foot structure with a 90-foot golden dome, white and blue granite construction, and 84 columns across five levels, blending North Indian, South Indian, and modern architectural elements. The complex is promoted by its own organization as the oldest Hindu temple in Texas and the largest in North America — claims reported here as the institution’s own, rather than independently confirmed facts.
The temple draws roughly 1,000 regularly attending families, with major festivals bringing as many as 8,000 visitors to the site. Its founding organization, JKP, was led for decades by Prakashanand Saraswati, who was convicted in 2011 on child sex abuse charges; JKP publicly distanced itself from him afterward. That history is noted here for completeness and is not further adjudicated by this entry.
Sources
- historical record: Wave 2 re-verification: address and coordinates confirmed via Komoot Photon geocoding, which identifies 'Radha Madhav Dham' at 400 Barsana Road, Austin, TX 78737 (30.1558465, -97.9578375) -- matching this entry's pre-existing coordinates to within about 25 meters.
- historical record: Cross-checked via Wikipedia's 'Radha Madhav Dham' article: established in 1990 as the main US center of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a nonprofit organization founded in the 1970s, on more than 200 acres designed as a replica of the sacred Braj region (with representations of Govardhan, Radha Kund, and Prem Sarovar). Its main temple, the Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple, is 35,000 square feet with a 90-foot golden dome, white and blue granite construction, and 84 columns across five levels, in a blend of North Indian, South Indian, and modern architectural styles. Sources describe it as attended by roughly 1,000 families with festivals drawing up to about 8,000 visitors; the same article notes JKP's founder, Prakashanand Saraswati, was convicted in 2011 on child sex crime charges, after which the organization publicly distanced itself from him (April 2011). Wikipedia also records claims, attributed to the organization/its promotional materials, that it is the 'oldest Hindu Temple in Texas and largest in North America' -- a superlative this entry reports as a claim rather than an independently verified fact.
For review
- The claim that this is the 'oldest Hindu Temple in Texas and largest in North America' comes from the temple/organization itself as reported by Wikipedia, not from independent verification, and is presented here as a claim rather than a confirmed fact. Separately, the temple's founding organization (Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat) was led by Prakashanand Saraswati, who was convicted in 2011 of child sex crimes; the organization publicly distanced itself from him afterward. This entry notes that history for completeness without further adjudication.